A medicinal herb processing technique that is a traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing technique is called “Po-je”, “Hap-hwa”, “Hap-yak”, “Su-chi”, “Po-ja”, “Bub-je” and “Su-sa” in Korean. This technique can be defined as a medicine manufacturing technique of changing the inherent properties of medicinal herbs by processing the medicinal herbs on the basis of the Chinese medicine theory.
The objects of processing medicinal herbs are to clarify medicines, facilitate the storage of medicines, reduce or remove the toxicity or side effects of medicines, change the properties of medicines to make the medicines more effective, enhance the therapeutic effects of medicines, and the offensive odor and taste of medicines to facilitate the intake of the medicines.
Meanwhile, in the manufacture of cosmetic products, raw materials having various effects, including skin whitening, wrinkle reduction and skin protection, are screened and added. Among these effects, the antioxidant effect removes reactive oxygen species, which are the cause of skin aging, to retard or prevent skin aging, changes a dull and inelastic skin to a fresh and clear skin, and makes the skin to look healthy in appearance. However, only a limited number of materials are known to have the antioxidant effect, and a small number of materials which are currently being used are chemically synthesized.
Recently, various cosmetic products which employ natural materials in order to reduce skin irritation caused by various chemical substances have been developed. In addition, natural materials have reduced side effects on the skin and receive a great deal of attention from consumers. Thus, many efforts to develop natural materials useful as cosmetic raw materials are being made.